When he was asked if the world needed another U2 album, Bono said he wasn’t sure. But he was sure that if there was to be another U2 album, it needed to be a great one.
I shared that with a friend yesterday as we were chatting about his latest book project. I’m not sure if the world needs one more business book. But I am sure that if it does, what we need is a great book. If you’re thinking about writing a business book, here are some questions to answer if you want to write a great one.
Do you have a passion for the topic?
If you don’t have a passion for the topic you won’t write the best book possible. You won’t do the extra research, or the extra revision, to make the book great. And you won’t have the staying power to promote the book and your ancillary products for a decade or more.
How will you add value to what’s already out there?
Statistics tell us that there are 3.859 gazillion business books out there. What will your book add to what they’ve already said? Will you have fresh research or a fresh perspective? Will you have stories that no one else has told?
How do you know that people will buy your book?
People buy books to help them make progress in some way. How do you know that your book will do that? Does your book offer a solution to a real and pressing problem? Or will it be one more solution searching for a problem?
Great business books
If you want to write a great business book, you must have the passion do go a great job. You must add unique value. And, you must help people make progress in a meaningful way.